The Magicians' Guild

Leaping forward, Cery stabbed the skewer at Fergun's back, aiming for the man's heart.

The skewer struck something hard and slipped through his fingers. As the magician spun around, something slammed into Cery's chest, throwing him backward. He heard a crack as he hit the wall, then pain ripped through his arm. Crumpling to the floor, he cradled his arm, gasping.

From behind came a long, exaggerated sigh.

'That was stupid. Look what you made me do.'

Fergun stood over him, arms crossed. Gritting his teeth, Cery glared up at the magician.

'This is no way to thank me after I went to all the trouble of bringing you blankets.' Fergun shook his head, then dropped into a crouch.

Trying to shrink away only brought another wave of pain. Cery smothered a cry as Fergun grasped the wrist of his injured arm. He tried to pull away, but the movement brought another stab of pain.

'Broken,' the magician muttered. His eyes seemed to have fixed on something far beyond the dusty floor. The pain suddenly dulled, then a warmth spread slowly through Cery's arm.

Realizing he was being Healed, Cery forced himself to remain still. He stared up at Fergun, noting the sharp jaw and thin lips. The man's blonde hair, usually combed back, now fell over his brow.

Cery knew he would remember this face for the rest of his life. One day I'll have my revenge, he thought. And if you have done anything to Sonea, expect your death to be slow and painful.

The magician blinked and released Cery's arm. He stood up, then grimaced and passed a hand over his brow.

'It is not wholly healed. I can't waste all my powers on you. Treat it gently, or the bone will come apart again.' His eyes narrowed. 'If you try something like that again, I will have to bind you - to stop you harming yourself you understand.'

He looked down. The plate he had been carrying lay broken, food scattered across the floor. The bottle lay nearby, water slowly leaking from a crack near the cork.

'I wouldn't waste that if I were you,' Fergun said. Bending, he picked up Cery's skewer, turned and strode out of the room.

As the door closed, Cery lay on his back and groaned. Had he really expected to be able to murder a magician with a skewer? He carefully prodded his arm with his fingertips. A mild tenderness was all that remained.

In the darkness the smell of fresh bread was strong and brought a growl from his stomach. Thinking of the spilled food, he sighed. His only indication of the time passing was hunger, and he had estimated that the magician's visits came every two days or more. If he didn't eat, he would grow weak. Even worse was the thought of the crawling things the food would attract from the corner he used for other bodily functions.

Pushing himself onto his knees, he crawled forward, hands searching the dusty floor.

Sonea caught her breath as the blue-robed magician stepped into the room. Tall, slim, with his dark hair tied at the nape of his neck, he could have been the assassin she had seen under the High Lord's house. Then the man turned to face her and she saw that his features were not as harsh as those of the man she remembered.

'This is Administrator Lorlen,' Rothen told her.

She nodded at the magician. 'Honored to meet you.'

'I am honored to meet you, Sonea,' the man replied.

'Please, sit down,' Rothen said, waving toward the chairs.

As they settled into chairs, Tania served the bitter drink the magicians seemed to prefer. Accepting a glass of water, Sonea watched the Administrator sip from his cup. He smiled appreciatively, but as he looked at her his expression became sober.

'Rothen was concerned that you would be frightened if I was to approach you when you first came here,' he told her. 'So you must forgive me for not coming sooner. As Administrator of the Guild, I wish to offer a formal apology for the trouble and distress we have caused you. Do you now understand why we had to find you?'

Sonea felt her cheeks warm. 'Yes.'

'That is a great relief to me,' he told her, smiling. 'I have some questions, and if you have any, please don't hesitate to ask. Are your Control lessons going well?'

Sonea glanced at Rothen and received a nod of encouragement.

'I think I'm improving,' she replied. 'The tests are getting easier.'

The Administrator considered this, nodding slowly. 'It's a bit like learning to walk,' he said. 'You have to think about it at first, but once you have done it for a while, you don't need to think about it at all.'

'Except that you don't walk in your sleep,' she added.

'Not usually.' The Administrator laughed, then his gaze became keen. 'Rothen has told me you don't wish to stay with us. Is that true?'

Sonea nodded.

'May I ask why not?'

'I want to go home,' she told him.

He leaned forward. 'We will not stop you seeing your family and friends. You could visit them on Freedays.'

She shook her head. 'I know, but I don't want to stay here.'

Nodding, he relaxed against the back of his chair. 'We will regret losing someone of such potential,' he told her. 'Are you sure you want to give up your powers?'

Remembering Fergun's words, her heart skipped. 'Give up my powers?' she repeated slowly, glancing at Rothen. 'That is not how Rothen described it.'

The Administrator's eyebrows rose. 'What has he told you?'

'That I won't be able to use them because I won't know how.'

'Do you believe you could teach yourself?'

She paused. 'Could I?'

'No.' The Administrator smiled. 'What Rothen has told you is true,' he said. 'But knowing how the success of your lessons depended on maintaining trust between you, he has left it to me to explain the laws regarding the release of magicians from the Guild.'

As she realized he was about to confirm whether Fergun had spoken the truth, Sonea's heartbeat quickened.

'The law states that every man and woman whose powers are active must either join the Guild or have his or her powers blocked,' he told her. 'Blocking can't be done until full Control is established but once in place, it effectively prevents a magician from using magic in any way.'

In the silence that followed the two magicians watched her closely. She looked away, avoiding their eyes.

So Rothen had been keeping something from her.

Yet she understood why he had. The knowledge that magicians were going to meddle with her mind would not have made it easy for her to trust him.

Fergun had been right, though ...

'Do you have any questions, Sonea?' Lorlen asked.

She hesitated, remembering something else that Fergun had said. 'This blocking isn't... uncomfortable?'

He shook his head. 'You won't feel anything. There is a sensation of resistance if you try to perform magic, but it is not painful. Since you are not used to using magic, I doubt you'll ever notice the block at all.'

Sonea nodded slowly. The Administrator regarded her silently, then smiled. 'I'm not going to try and talk you into staying,' he said. 'I only wish you to know there is a place here for you if you want it. Do you have any other questions?'

Sonea shook her head. 'No. Thank you, Administrator.'

He stood, his robes rustling. 'I must return to my duties now. I will visit you again, Sonea. Perhaps we can have a longer talk.'

She nodded and watched Rothen usher the Administrator from the room. As the door closed, Rothen turned